


Rebuilding Awa

by purpleswans



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-08-29 15:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8494870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpleswans/pseuds/purpleswans
Summary: After Yang Kum-Ji’s death, the leadership of the Earth tribe is left with the daunting task of reshaping Awa into the magnificent center of trade it once was. However, with the memories of Kum-Ji’s corrupt reign still fresh in everyone’s mind, how will they find a new Lord that will rally the people and regain their trust? For Akayona Big Bang 2016





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This work is my contribution to the [2016 AkaYona Big Bang.](http://akayonabigbang.tumblr.com/) It's the first completed multi-chapter fic I've done in a while, plus it's my first work in the AkaYona fandom. I've been working on this for several months, so I hope you all like it. 
> 
> I want to give a big shout-out to my Beta [Karin](http://sassiestemerald.tumblr.com/) and the amazing artist [Khaz](http://vokhaz.tumblr.com/), who made [a really awesome piece of art](http://akayonabigbang.tumblr.com/post/153171686401/rebuilding-awa-artist-vokhaz) to accompany this piece.

The sun was high over the port of Awa. The ground was hot, too hot for bare feet, and the water provided a cool contrast that tempted the people to take the day off for a swim. However, most of the people in this town couldn’t afford to laze around in the water. This was particularly true for a group of fishermen who, until a few days ago, had spent all their time on a pirate ship trying to fight against corruption.

Toku stopped what he was doing to catch his breath. He dropped the massive fishing net he’d managed to locate from an old storage shed. “I’d -- *huff huff* -- forgotten -- *huff* -- how heavy -- *huff* -- these stupid nets were,” he gasped.

“Well, we better get used to them again. They’re necessary for our primary occupation now.” Maya shuffled past him with several wicker baskets. When he got a better look at the state of the nets, Maya frowned. “These things are in tatters. I better go into town and get some rope to help mend it.”

Toku groaned. “Yeah, you better do that then.”

“You boys doing alright?” a familiar voice called from across the port.

Both men looked up. “Captain!”

Gi-Gan rolled her eyes. “Idiots. You’re not pirates, so I’m not your Captain anymore. I’m not sure I would have wanted a couple of wimps who can’t even take care of a fishing net on my ship anyway.”

“You’re right, Captain.” Maya replied. “We’re ordinary fishermen now.”

“What are you going to do, Captain?” Toku asked.

“Me? Well, just like you folks are going back to being the fishermen you were before the pirate crew, I’m going to try to go back to the person I was before.” Gi-Gan explained. “I left the family business in the hands of my niece, and it’s about time I checked on her and started doing what I can again.”

“The family business?” Maya asked. “What’s that to you?”

Gi-Gan shrugged it off. “Oh, something that should keep me busy for a while. I’ll try to see if I can get it back here, though. It’ll definitely help the town.”

Maya and Toku didn’t understand what their former Captain was talking about, but didn’t inquire further as she boarded her ship and set sail.

Rowen, Tatsu, and Ryou came up to the dock where Maya and Toku were standing. “Was that the Captain?” Rowen asked.

Maya nodded. “Yeah. First Jae-Ha left with Yona and her friends, now the Captain’s gone. I guess our life as pirates is really over.”

“Yeah, but isn’t Kum-Ji gone?” Ryou pointed out. “That means the reason why we became pirates doesn’t exist anymore.”

“You have a point,” Tatsu noted, “but it still feels weird going back to fishing after spending so long fighting.”

The other former pirates all nodded in agreement. They all looked out at the sea, not quite sure how they could go back to the people they were before like their Captain wanted them to.

Suddenly, a shriek rang over the docks. “Let go of me! Let go!”

Before they even realized what they were doing, the men were racing towards the voice of distress. At the end of the pier, a well-dressed man was dragging a girl by her hair towards a docked boat, presumably his.

“Come on girly, you’re gonna enjoy this.”

“No way! Let me go!” The girl continued to scream.

Maya got to her first, grabbing the man’s hand and wrenching his grip away from the terrified girl. “Hey! You heard the girl, now let her go!”

Tatsu, Ryou, Toku, and Rowen quickly pushed themselves between the girl and her attacker.

The well-dressed man snarled at the fishermen. “You don’t actually think you can do anything to me, do you?”

“I recognize you,” Toku realized. “You were one of Kum-Ji’s direct subordinates.”

The treacherous man looked mildly offended. “I’ll have you know that I was Lord Kum-Ji’s second in command, and as such the default person to take over his operations. Now move along, there’s nothing here that concerns you.”

Rowen pulled out a sword and held it to the villain’s throat. “I think it does concern us. We fought to end Kum-Ji’s reign, we’re not going to just lay down and let it happen again.”

At the sight of the blade, the well-dressed man’s face paled and he quickly turned around and ran away.

Toku looked at his friend’s sword. “Wow Rowen, I didn’t realize you still had that! Wasn’t that the Captain’s?”

Rowen scratched his head. “Well, the Captain never asked for it back, so I just ended up keeping it. It was going to leave it at home now that we’re not pirates anymore, but something told me that I should take it with me this morning. Guess it’s a good thing I did.”

Maya nodded. “You said it.”

The girl who they had just saved spoke up. “Um, thank you for saving me. Again.”

Ryou looked at her. “Weren’t you one of the girls Kum-Ji tried trading in the Kai Empire?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m Yu-Ri. I was one of the girls Miss Yona and you guys saved that night.”

“Well, I’m glad we could help you.” Ryou said. “However, I’ll admit that I thought our saving-people days were over.”

“I guess this means that Kum-Ji’s influence hasn’t quite left this town just yet.” Maya confirmed.


	2. Chapter 2

King Soo-Won smiled pleasantly as he mounted his horse. “I am truly grateful for your hospitality, General Geun-Tae.”

The leader of the Earth Tribe was beaming at his king’s graciousness. “It was an honor to host you, my king. You’re welcome to stay longer, if you wish.”

Soo-Won laughed lightly. “As much as I would like to, I’m afraid that there some matters I must attend to in the capital.”

Geun-Tae nodded in understanding. “Of course. A good leader is able to go where he is needed, and right now you are needed in the capital.”

The two of them walked towards the king’s horse for a short time in silence, until Soo-Won spoke up with a hint of gravity. “By the way, have you heard any news from the port of Awa since our visit there a while back?”

Geun-Tae’s face fell at the mention of that. Ever since he’d visited the port town with the king and had learned that the man mostly responsible for the corruption there had been killed, he’d been receiving constant reports from the remaining officials in the town about the disastrous situation. There was confusion in the government, many people were demanding compensation for what had been done to them by Kum-Ji’s regime, and the usual trading businesses of the port were disrupted.

Just thinking about the situation was giving Geun-Tae a headache.

The Earth Tribe General swallowed and tried to come up with a diplomatic answer to the king’s inquiry. “I’ve heard that… the port is having problems returning to business as usual.”

Soo-Won didn’t miss a beat. “That is understandable. Government corruption is very difficult to recover from, especially when it has been ongoing for a number of years. I’m afraid that the town will require some special attention for a little while.”

Geun-Tae hung his head. “You’re right, my king.”

“Have you selected a new liege lord for the town yet?” Soo-Won asked.

Geun-Tae raised his eyes in surprise. “You’re leaving the decision up to me?”

“I can’t afford to micromanage every tribe in this country, as much as I would like to. I leave the governing of each individual tribe to the generals, who in turn should leave the governing of each individual town to the local leaders. It’s how our hierarchy works,” the king reasoned.

“True…” Geun-Tae generally didn’t think too hard about his role in the government. The way King Soo-Won was explaining it made sense though.

The king mounted his horse. “You need to be able to look at the Earth Tribe as a whole, just like how I need to be able to look at Kouka Kingdom as a whole myself. That’s why Awa port needs to have a new liege lord soon. Due to the current issues that must be overcome, I would recommend that you choose someone the people of Awa already trust, but other than that I leave the selection up to your discretion.”

Geun-Tae bowed. “I shall take your advice to heart.”

Soo-Won gave his general one last authoritative nod and encouraging smile before taking off to the capital of the kingdom.

Geun-Tae turned towards his attendant, Chul-Rang. “Get a group of men together and prepare to depart for the Port of Awa.”

His king had given him a mission, and Geun-Tae was determined to fix the current situation


	3. Chapter 3

Toku cast a sideways glance at his companions. “I don’t know guys, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Someone has to keep these people safe,” Maya replied, “And it might as well be us.”

Rowen had his sword slung over his shoulder. “It’s not like we haven’t been doing the same thing for the past few years anyway. The only difference is, now that Kum-Ji’s men aren’t officially in charge, we should be able to protect people within their own streets now.”

Toku sighed. “I just want to make sure we can get dinner this evening.”

“We’ll get back to fishing as soon as we’re sure that the people are really safe,” Tatsu promised.

The streets of Awa were lively today. The overwhelming sense of fear no longer lay heavy over the town, since the source of this feeling was now dead at the bottom of the ocean. However, there was still a certain amount of anxiety lingering in the people’s minds. Old habits die hard, and it’s incredibly difficult to feel comfortable after spending so long in constant fear.

The group of former pirates marched down the main street, keeping an eye out for any evildoers. The crowds parted for them. Many of the citizens whispered as they passed. The young men didn’t notice, they were too focused on watching for what remained of Kum-Ji’s influence.

Their vigilance was justified when Rowen recognized a face in the crowd. “Look! It’s that guy who tried to take that girl by the docks yesterday!”

The others caught sight of the same man, who had decided it would be prudent to run away. They were prepared to give chase, but a wall of town guards appeared in front of them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The head of the town guards asked.

“Move over!” Maya yelled, “That’s Kum-Ji’s second in command! We need to stop him from continuing the corruption.”

The guard’s eye’s hardened. “Lord Kum-Ji is dead. That’s the end of it. Right now, you’re all disrupting the peace.”

Ryou ground his teeth. “Yeah, but it’s not like everything that happened because of him is suddenly okay.”

“You guys probably actually liked him!” Tatsu snapped. “You miss all the bribe money his illegal activities gave you?”

The guard’s eyes flashed with anger. He gripped the hilt of his sword, prepared to draw. “You son of a –“

Rowen threw himself between the others and the angry guard, brandishing his own sword. “Just try it, I dare you.”

In a few seconds the street had erupted into chaos.

* * *

When Geun-Tae arrived in the town of Awa, the first thing he noticed was shouting in the distance, coming from the marketplace. He and his men quickly rushed to the scene, not even bothering to dismount the horses and leave their things at the house they would be staying.

Geun-Tae had been afraid that the things would be chaotic here, but he hadn’t anticipated a city brawl. The normal citizens were cowering in their homes, but peeking through the windows to see if it was safe to come out yet. There were five young fishermen standing in a circle, back to back, each fighting with a sword with a certain degree of skill. They were encircled by a mob of the town guards, who were trying to use their numbers to overwhelm their opponents, but it wasn’t working.

“Stop this at once!” The Earth General’s voice issued a command that demanded obedience.

Somehow, all those involved stopped what they were doing. One of the town guards recognized him. “General Geun-Tae…”

Geun-Tae turned to his personal soldiers, the ones he had just brought with him. “Arrest these men. All of them. And take them in for questioning.”

One of the guardsmen started to smirk at the five fishermen, but that quickly changed when he found himself under arrest. “But sir! We were just doing our jobs!”

“I’ll be the judge of that, after I hear your stories.” Geun-Tae replied.

One of the fishermen chuckled. “Serves you right.”

Geun-Tae looked over at the young man who had spoken and noticed the sword in his hand. “Also, don’t forget to confiscate their weapons,” the General ordered before turning his horse


	4. Chapter 4

General Geun-Tae glared at the two people sitting across from him. They were, for lack of a better word, bickering like children. That wasn’t to say that some of their grievances weren’t justified, but since both the head town guard and the fisherman wouldn’t stop shouting at each other, Geun-Tae’s patience was wearing thin.

“—These _ingrates_ were clearly disrupting the peace, my lord, so I was only doing my duty –”

“Your _duty_? Where was _your duty_ when innocent people were being murdered in the streets?!”

“—As I was saying, I was doing my duty as the town guard, since they were causing a unnecessary ruckus—“

“Where was your duty when women were being captured to be sold to another country?”

“—As you undoubtedly are aware, My Lord, the central market is a vital place for the economy of this town—“

“WHERE WAS YOUR DUTY DURING KUM-JI’S REIGN OF TERROR?”

Finally, Geun-Tae snapped.

“ENOUGH!”

The fact that both of them shut up immediately probably spoke a lot to Geun-Tae’s authoritative presence.

The General took a deep breath. “Here’s the situation as I understand it: You,” he pointed at the fisherman, “and your friends decided that he,” Geun-Tae then pointed at the guardsman, “and his men weren’t doing their jobs correctly and took it on yourselves to act as a kind of citizen’s police force. When you,” Geun-Tae turned to the guardsman again, “saw them and thought they were causing trouble you decided to take them in. And since this whole situation is ridiculous, it escalated from there. Did I miss anything?”

Both of the men looked like they wanted to protest somehow, but thankfully remained silent.

“Good, we’re all on the same page. Now, I know that there was already a handful of things to do around here before this incident was added to the pile, so I’d honestly like for this whole thing to go away so I can focus on fixing this town.”

Geun-Tae turned towards the guardsman. “I brought my own, personal soldiers with me, who will be able to protect this town as long as I am here. Head town guard, you and your entire squad are to consider yourselves suspended until further notice. Honestly, I don’t like you, and this whole incident and your conduct under the last establishment has brought your character and your entire department into question. Whether or not you or anyone remains at their posts here will remain to be seen after a complete investigation by me and my men.”

The head guardsman looked beyond appalled, but kept his mouth shut, hopefully to not make his situation worse.

Geun-Tae now turned towards the fisherman. “Now as for you, young man—“

“Rowen.”

“Rowen. Whatever. What the hell were you and your friends thinking? What could possibly give you the right to protect the people of this town?”

The fisherman opened his mouth to speak, but the guardsman spoke first. “Damned pirates. You think you own the place now that Lord Kum-Ji is dead?”

Rowen grit his teeth. “As I was about to say, until a couple of weeks ago my comrades and I were freedom fighters that did everything we could to stop Kum-Ji’s corruption in this town. We originally planned on going back to our ordinary lives now that Kum-Ji is gone, but after it became evident that the corruption hadn’t completely left this place we had to do what we could. Our Captain may have taken her ship and left, but we still felt honor-bound to protect this town.

Geun-Tae stared. Well, that was something. He’d heard about the “Pirates of Awa” who fought against the corruption here, but he hadn’t anticipated coming face-to-face with them. His original plan – to ignore them and hope that they disappeared without much fuss or influence on the town – clearly wasn’t going to work.

The General took a deep breath. “I can see now how you would feel that way, but this wasn’t the best way to go about it. I’ll try to put in some system for citizens to report on crime soon, so I’d prefer it if in the future you used that. It wouldn’t be a good idea to have another incident like this morning, especially if you want to go back to your normal life.”

The fisherman bit his lip, but nodded. “I understand, my Lord.”

Geun-Tae breathed a sigh of relief. “Like I said earlier, I’d rather just have this whole thing go away, so both of you and your companions are free to go.”

The previous head guardsman stood up and left, but Rowen asked one more question. “In that case, is there any chance I could get my sword back?”

Geun-Tae nodded. “Chul-Rang, please go get this man’s weapon and have his companions’ returned to their owners.”

The attendant left to complete the task, and soon came back with the young man’s sword. Geun-Tae was surprised to see the quality of the weapon. If a normal fisherman from Awa had decided to buy a weapon to protect themselves, one would expect it to be of medium quality; just good enough that it wasn’t constantly in need of repairs, but not with any additional features outside its primary function. He had expected a simple, sturdy sword, but this young man’s weapon was a few steps above that. The sheath has a few simple designs in varying shades of green and yellow, and the guard looked like it might be gold-plated. The most startling feature was the symbol engraved in some kind of green stone where the guard and the hilt intersected, like some kind of crest. It was in the shape of a vaguely humanoid, scaly leg.

For some reason, the symbol stirred up a sense of recognition in Geun-Tae.

As the young man put his sword on his belt and prepared to leave, Geun-Tae cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, would you be able to tell me where you got that sword?”

Rowen looked a little confused and uneasy. “If was a gift from the Captain of our freedom fighter group. When I proved to be particularly proficient with the sword, she gave it to me from her personal collection. I treasure it as a memento of her.” The young man shot the general a wary glance. “Will that be all my Lord?”

Geun-Tae waved him off. “Yeah, sure. Get out, I have other stuff I need to do.”

Rowen gave the General one final bow and left.

Chul-Rang cast Geun-Tae an odd glance. “General Geun-Tae? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, I just thought I recognized the symbol on his sword.” He waved his attendant off. “Although I appreciate what they did for the people up until now, I’d rather not have the ‘Pirates of Awa’ become of problem for the new regime. I may want to look into it, if I ever remember what that symbol means.”


	5. Chapter 5

Although Geun-Tae would never admit it to anyone, the sight of the Awa record room almost drove him to tears. It appeared that during Kum-Ji’s governance, any official record that needed to be kept was simply thrown in a pile of loose papers on a desk, and as the piles grew, they eventually tipped to one side and collapsed into a sea of documents on the floor. It was very difficult to find a path to the bookshelves at the back of the room without ruining any of the papers.

“Chul-Rang, you can go first.” Geun-Tae offered.

The boy looked reluctant, but ventured into the mess. He carefully avoided the documents by standing on his tip-toes and only stepping where he could see the tiled floor. The other men observed his path in order to mimic it when their own turns came. Eventually, Chul-Rang got to the bookshelves and took a good look at the sorted documents.

“General Geun-Tae, it looks like these are only the records from before Kum-Ji took over.” Chul-Rang reported. “If there are any from the last 10 years, they must be among all these unsorted documents.

“That’s not surprising,” Geun-Tae said. “He probably didn’t see any real reason to keep good records, at least for the government. Plus, the less official reports that came through, the easier it would be for him to get away with his corruption.”

“However, there might still be some important information within the documents.” One of the other soldiers pointed out.

Geun-Tae sighed. “You’re right, of course. We better start organizing these.”

Everyone around groaned in unison.

“Oi! Quit whining!” Geun-Tae snapped. “Chul-Rang, how are the sorted papers organized?”

“Similar to the way we keep them back in Chi-shin, by year, and the within each year by type of document.”

Geun-Tae took a deep breath. “Alright men, let’s get to work. Start out organizing by year out in the hallway where we won’t make it any messier inside the room. Form a timeline with the oldest paper on that side,” he pointed to the right side of the hallway, “and the more recent ones over there.” He pointed to the left side. “We’ll separate them further after that’s done. Now, get going!”

The men, now with a temporary fire in their eyes, began to do as their general instructed. Geun-Tae helped them in their efforts. However, it wasn’t that much longer until the fire of a let-us-get-this-done mentality died down. The act of sorting papers was monotonous, and the papers themselves were largely depressing, since many of them served as reminders of just how bad things had been during the previous regime.

_Yearly Budget:_

_Personal Expenses          200,000 gold pieces_

_Officials’ salary                10,000 gold pieces_

_Relief Efforts                    100 gold pieces_

Geun-Tae picked up a letter he had sent a few years ago, most likely inquiring about the situation at the time. It hadn’t even been opened.

There was a petition to remove a certain set of taxes from when Kum-Ji first came to power. It was filled with names, but was now crumbled up and had been found a little too close to the wastebasket.

Geun-Tae’s hand found another letter, this time opened. When he unfolded the paper to look at the contents, the first thing he noticed was a symbol at the bottom. It was a stamp in green ink, in the shape of a humanoid foot covered in scales.

 _That’s it! That’s the symbol I saw on that fisherman’s sword!_ Geun-Tae realized.

He quickly scanned through the letter, trying to figure out the connection to the symbol.

_To The Lord Governor of the Town of Awa,_

_I am writing this letter to inquire about the sudden increase in tax rates for international exports. My company specializes in international trade between all five tribes of Kouka Kingdom and the countries of Kai and Sei. Since the company’s founding, Awa has been our headquarters and a major hub for our transactions, both domestic and international. It is a vital port in our trade routes, so these taxes are very disruptive for our business. We would hate to lose our mutually profitable investment in the port of Awa, but unless this unexpected taxation is brought under control, we will not be able to continue conducting business within this town._

_With Regards,_

_Lady Kim Gi-Gan, Head of the Kim Green Leg Trading Company_

Geun-Tae sat back with the letter. The Kim Green Leg Trading Company was a very powerful trading company in Kouka Kingdom. It had been founded in the Earth Tribe, but its trade routes that stretched along the western coast to the neighboring countries have provided communications and goods to many people in different parts of the country. Even though he didn’t always foresee the value of certain decisions on their part, Geun-Tae had always appreciated the company’s contribution to the tribe’s prosperity.

Kim Gi-Gan. . . Geun-Tae remembered her. They’d met back when he’d first become the Earth Tribe General. She’d left an impression on him due to the fact that despite being about fifty years old at the time and a woman, she’d held a lot of power as the head of a very profitable trading company, having taken over from her father decades before. He generally didn’t keep track of such things, but Geun-Tae recalled that she’d supposedly stepped down and left the company in the hands of her niece.

The symbol at the bottom of the letter was the company’s seal. It had slipped his mind until just now, but Geun-Tae had seen it several times before and knew what it meant. What their connection with the freedom fighters in the village was though, remained to be seen.

 _At the end of the day, when we’re done with this mess of a records room, I’ll send Chul-Rang to talk with the current head of the company_ Geun-Tae decided as he continued sorting the papers.


	6. Chapter 6

Chul-Rang took a deep breath and dismounted his horse. He was at a town several miles south of Awa, still a coastal town, but free from Kum-Ji’s influence. It was also the current location of the Kim Green Leg Trading Company’s headquarters. General Geun-Tae had asked him to come here and investigate any potential links between the company and the freedom fighters that had done away with Kum-Ji.

Chul-Rang didn’t really see the point, especially since the General had already decided that he wouldn’t be punishing the “pirates of Awa” in any way, but he was always willing to follow an order from his General.

Chul-Rang walked up to a large building in the center of town. It wasn’t particularly extravagant, but instead focused on maximizing functionality. Every wall was stacked with books and boxes, with only a few windows to let in natural light. There were several desks with employees hard at work. Many other people bustled around the place, carrying containers or papers or simple messages. The only sign of luxury or decoration for the sake of decoration was an engraving over the front door: a scaly, humanoid leg painted green.

This was definitely the right place.

“Can I help you sir?” A young man greeted Chul-Rang when he entered.

“Ah, yes. I was hoping I could speak to the head of the company?” Chul-Rang asked.

The young man nodded. “I’ll put you on her schedule. When would you like to meet?”

“Today, please,” Chul-Rang answered. “As soon as possible.”

The young man bit his lip, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m afraid the boss is very particular about appointments sir. Can I set you down to tomorrow morning?”

 _I’d rather not spent more time than necessary, especially since it shouldn’t take too long._ Chul-Rang decided to use his favorite manipulation tactic. “I’m sorry, but I’m here on orders from General Geun-Tae—“

The young man visibly squeaked. “Ge-General Geun-Tae? Don’t tell me Mom did something wrong…”

Chul-Rang raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Your Mother?”

“Ah, sorry, I’m supposed to call her ‘Boss’ when I’m on the job… She wants me to learn how to run the company eventually, but doesn’t want me to act like I’m getting special treatment…”

Chul-Rang sighed. “In that case, no, you’re mother isn’t in trouble. I just need to ask her a couple of questions. It shouldn’t take long, but it is urgent.”

The young man looked down at some papers on his desk. “Well, if it won’t take that long, I just saw her most recent appointment leave early. The next one isn’t due for another half hour, and if it takes just a little longer I should be able to stall them. Would that be okay?”

Chul-Rang nodded. “That should be more than enough time.”

The young man led him through the building to a large doorway and knocked.

“Who is it?” A woman’s voice called out from the other side.

“Boss, there’s a man here on General Geun-Tae’s orders who wants to ask you some questions. He says it shouldn’t take too much time.”

There was a silent pause, and then a sigh from the other side of the door. “Come in then.”

The young man opened the door and let Chul-Rang into the head of the company’s office.

The woman was a little under middle-aged, with hard lines on her face revealing experience. Her office was filled with more books and boxes and papers like the rest of the building, but it was all organized in a definite attention to detail. Her desk was clean except for a few loose papers, a book that she was currently writing in and some writing utensils.

The woman stood and greeted Chul-Rang. “Hello, I’m Ji-Hye, the current head of the Kim Green Leg Trading Company. It’s always an honor to serve the Earth General, but you’ll have to pardon me, I’m a very busy woman. I’d rather we keep this short. What do you want to ask me about?”

“I was wondering if you could give me any information on your company’s dealings in Awa,” Chul-Rang inquired.

Ji-Hye looked surprised. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but this company has hardly had any dealings in Awa for the past ten years. The taxes are just so high there that it’s not profitable. We’ve done a few dealings with smaller, middle-man merchants that likely would have traded there, but that’s it. Let me see if I can find those records…”

 _Ten years ago, that would have been around the time Kum-Ji came to power_ , Chul-Rang realized. “What about before ten years ago?”

“Oh, well that was when the headquarters was actually in Awa,” Ji-Hye explained. “Back then, everything the company did was connected to Awa. But then the taxes started suddenly increasing, and it became obvious that we’d lose less money if we packed up everything and moved to a different location. That was when my aunt left the company to me; she said it would be a new era for the company and it should have a new person to lead it through the change.”

“Your aunt?” Chul-Rang asked.

“Kim Gi-Gan, the previous head of the company.” Ji-Hye explained. “After announcing her retirement, Aunt Gi-Gan packed up her belongings, got on her personal ship, and dropped off the face of the earth for ten years. We were half-convinced that she’d died until a few days ago, when she showed up out of the blue wanting to help the company again.”

“Really?” Chul-Rang found this piece of information interesting. “Is there any chance I could talk to her?”

“Sorry, but I’m afraid you just missed her. She left this morning, didn’t bother to tell me where she was going,” Ji-Hye told him sadly. “You know, she was asking about Awa too. Wanted to know if I’d be willing to bring business back there again. I told her I might be if I knew the taxes were back at reasonable amounts and there was a chance for profit, but I’d need to observe the situation some more before I could make that call. From what I understand, there was some kind of political upheaval around there recently, and that kind of stuff generally isn’t good for business.”

Chul-Rang nodded. “I see.”

Ji-Hye pulled out a thick book from one of her bookshelves. “Here’s the records of all the dealings that could potentially be traced back to Awa in the last ten years. I’m afraid I can’t let you take it with you right now since it’s the only copy I have, but if you want I can have a copy made and sent to Chi-shin.”

“Ah, no, that won’t be necessary,” Chul-Rang answered. “I’ve got everything I need. Thank you for your cooperation.” He gave a quick bow and left, anxious to return to the General’s side.


	7. Chapter 7

“For the record, I thought it was a bad idea,” Toku insisted.

The group of former pirates were sitting by the docks. Honestly, there were probably a few other things they could be doing, like getting their fishing nets together, or fixing up some old boats, or actually fishing for food, but ever since that fiasco that led to their arrests by General Geun-Tae and his men, they had been feeling kind of… lost. That was the only way to describe it.

Maya sighed. “We heard you the first 20 times Toku.”

“I wish we could do something, though,” Tatsu said. “I know the General is doing what he can, and he does seem to be doing a good job about it, but I can’t help but feel that there should be something we can do.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to get arrested by the General again,” Ryou pointed out.

Rowen bit his lip. There was something bothering him; it had been bothering him for quite a while. He originally hadn’t been able to come up with an exact feeling, but now he was pretty sure how he felt.

“Guys, I don’t think I want to be an ordinary fisherman anymore.” Rowen suddenly announced.

All the others looked at him in shock.

“Wha-What are you saying!” Maya gasped.

“But that’s what Captain told us we should do!” Toku exclaimed.

Rowen took a deep breath. “It’s not like I’m trying to go against her wishes; it’s more like I _can’t_ be an ordinary fisherman anymore. After everything that’s happened, all the things I’ve seen and done, how can I go back to my normal life like nothing has happened? Like Kum-Ji or the pirate crew never existed?”

The others continued to look wary, but they seemed to somewhat understand what he was saying.

“I’m also pretty sure you guys feel the same way I do,” Rowen continued. “Why else would you guys be sitting here being useless instead of doing your jobs?”

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind the group. “He has a point, why are you brats sitting here being useless? I know I taught you better than that.”

The five companions jumped up in joy. “Captain! You came back!” She was standing there like she had never left, her pipe in hand.

“Yes, well, my niece was being stubborn about some things, so I had to come back and check on the state of this place. But enough about me, what have you boys been up to? What’s got you acting so useless?”

“Well, um…” Rowen began, looking at the others to take over.

“We found out that some of Kum-Ji’s corrupt subordinates were still causing problems.” Maya cut in.

“Not surprising, he had been in power for several years and gained a lot of connections,” Captain Gi-Gan murmured.

“And these guys decided to go patrol the town, even though I told them it was a bad idea,” Toku continued. “Stuff happened, and General Geun-Tae arrested all of us, but decided to let us go with a warning.”

The others looked at him with distaste. He really could have said that better. Gi-Gan, on the other hand, simply took a huff of her pipe. She had a look on her face that her former crew recognized, a thoughtful one that usually preceded a lecture or speech of some sort.

“You idiots,” Gi-Gan sighed. “You guys have your hearts in the right place, but you’re going about this whole thing the wrong way. Just because I said you weren’t pirates anymore and were normal fishermen again didn’t mean you had to stay that way.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out a flyer, the kind that had probably been ripped off of a message board. “Look at this, you brats.”

Rowen took the flyer and read it out loud. “Due to recent events, there are several openings in Awa’s town officials and guards positions. Please contact General Geun-Tae or one of his men to apply.”

Maya looked questioningly at Gi-Gan. “What does this mean? What are we supposed to do?”

Gi-Gan took another huff from her pipe. “If you brats still want to protect the people of Awa so badly, then go ahead and do it. But now that the corruption is being weeded out of the system, there’s no reason for you to have to work outside the law anymore. Now, you can protect the people better by working within the system.”

The former pirate crew looked dumbfounded.

Gi-Gan sighed. “Just go tell the General you want to join the town guards already, you brats.”

* * *

 “General, there’s an urgent letter for you,” one of the servants announced.

General Geun-Tae sighed, lounging in his large chair. “Define ‘urgent.’ I’m finally getting a chance to nap.”

“It’s from King Soo-Won, sir.”

Geun-Tae bolted upright and raced to grab the letter. He opened it and started to read, not bothering to dismiss the servant to sit back down.

_General Geun-Tae,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I understand that you’re still dealing with things in Awa, and I really appreciate the effort you are putting into this delicate situation. I do feel the need to remind you that once you select a new liege lord for the town you’ll be able to leave most of the details to them. Of course, the actual selection is still difficult, since you’ll need someone the people can trust. I don’t envy you on that job…_

_On another note, I have received reports that lead me to suspect a situation brewing in the Fire Clan. I would really appreciate your assistance in this matter, if you could spare some time._

_With Regards,_

_Soo-Won, King of Kouka Kingdom_

Geun-Tae looked up from the letter, worry evident on his face. On one hand, he was overjoyed that his king had asked for his help personally, but with the situation in Awa as it was, he really couldn’t afford to leave. Maybe if he knew who could act as a good liege lord to this place. . .

 _I really need to pick one soon,_ Geun-Tae realized.


	8. Chapter 8

“So, what you’re saying is that the Kim Green Leg Trading Company doesn’t have any connection to the pirates, but it’s possible the Kim Gi-Gan does?” Geun-Tae confirmed.

Chul-Rang nodded. “It appears that way, sir. Now it’s also possible that the company head was lying because she didn’t want to invite trouble, but the timeline with her aunt’s lack of communication makes me think otherwise.”

Geun-Tae drummed his fingers on the desk. “Yes, I agree. Thank you for doing this Chul-Rang, I know it was really out of the way.”

Chul-Rang smiled. “It was not trouble sir. I’m just doing my job.”

“Still, I appreciate it. Now go ahead and get some rest, you just had a long journey.”

“Thank you, sir.” Chul-Rang took a quick bow and left the General in his office.

Geun-Tae continued tapping his fingers, lost in thought. From what he recalled in dealing with her in his youth, Kim Gi-Gan was a shrewd, intelligent, strong businesswoman. Her father had named her the next head of the company at a young age, which had surprised many people not closely acquainted with the family. She had single-handedly transformed a small shipping company into a vital resource in international trade. Now that Geun-Tae had looked through the records from even before Kum-Ji’s rise to power, it was clear to him that Awa was very dependent on international trade. It had originally been a small fishing village, but as the Kim Green Leg Trading Company expanded, so did the town of Awa. In other words, it was Kim Gi-Gan who was responsible for the development of Awa.

“I wonder… If she could do it again.” General Geun-Tae said to no one in particular.

* * *

 The next morning, one of the few remaining old town guards stood on duty outside of General Geun-Tae’s temporary residence. He was trying to do his job, but a group of very insistent people was making it incredibly difficult.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let just anyone in to see the General,” the guard tried to explain.

“But we need to see him personally!” Maya insisted. “This flyer says we have to ask him to let us join the town guard!”

The guardsman took the flyer and read it. When he was done, he looked over the five men standing in front of him expectantly. “Are you sure you boys want to do this? Being a guardsman involves a lot of fighting, and I’m not talking about simple street brawls. You’ll be fighting people with swords that actually want to kill you.”

The former pirates looked offended. “What are you—“

Gi-Gan stepped forward. “Young man, I’ve been around the boys for the past several years, watching them fight. True, they’re not as well trained or skilled as someone who was taught to handle weapons their entire lives, but they’ve got a warrior’s spirit and they’ve got heart. They want to do what they can for the people of this town, and if you care about Awa, you should let them.”

Everyone present stared at her in awe. “Captain…” Toku whispered.

Suddenly, the door opened and General Geun-Tae stepped out. “What’s going on over here?” he asked, rubbing his eyes. Clearly, he’d just woken up.

“General!” The guard stood at attention. “These men were trying to come in and see you about joining the town guards.”

“Eh?” Geun-Tae looked them over, trying to make his hazy mind remember who they were. “Oh yeah, you’re those pirate freedom fighter guys, aren’t you? Sure, you’ll probably do a better job than your average person off the street. You’re all hired.”

The former pirate crew – now guardsmen – looked ecstatic.

Geun-Tae waved over another passing soldier. “Do me a favor and show these guys to the barracks, would you? And also start them on training, if you could.”

“Yes, General.” The soldier and his five new charges walked away. Gi-Gan stayed behind.

Geun-Tae blinked harshly, trying to make himself wake up and process that what he thought he saw was, in fact, what he was actually seeing. “Kim Gi-Gan, is that really you?”

Gi-Gan chuckled. “Still not much of a morning person, eh, General? You’ve gotten older.”

 _You’re a lot older than me_ , Geun-Tae was tempted to say, but realized just how rude that would be. “I take it you are actually the so-called ‘Captain’ they were referring to when I interviewed them a few days ago?”

Gi-Gan nodded, looking off in the direction they’d left. “They’re good boys; they want to do what’s right and are willing to fight for what matters. They’ll serve Awa well.”

Geun-Tae nodded, his hazy mind finally starting to wake up and he remembered something that had occurred to him yesterday. “Ms. Kim, would you be willing to step into my office for a while so we can talk?”

Gi-Gan raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to talk to me for?”

“I believe it’s something that is vital to the continued security and prosperity of Awa.”

Gi-Gan took a second to process this statement. “I guess I’ve got nothing better to do right now. Might as well.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Kim Gi-Gan, I want to you be the next lord – or I guess lady – of Awa.” Geun-Tae blankly stated.

“Not gonna happen.” Gi-Gan immediately replied.

Geun-Tae immediately blanched. “Wha-Why!”

“I’m a businesswoman, not a politician.”

Geun-Tae scowled. “True, but I think you have the capability to do it. Especially thanks to your experience as a businesswoman.”

Gi-Gan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Geun-Tae tried to think of a specific example. “There’s a lot that goes into managing the budget for the town’s government, and you’ve got some experience with that kind of stuff.”

“True…” Gi-Gan unwillingly agreed. “But I know that’s not all that goes into being a leader.”

“Yes, but… look, you really don’t have to know everything. There are several experienced government officials from neighboring towns that I’m going to leave here to help. You can go to them for advice,” Geun-Tae countered. “Didn’t you have people giving you advice as a businesswoman?”

“Yes, but they only gave me advice, ultimately I always made the final decisions myself based on my knowledge of the subject.”

Geun-Tae smirked. “That sounds exactly like leadership to me.”

Gi-Gan took a deep breath. “General, why on earth would you want a retired, insufferable old lady like me to lead the town of Awa?”

Geun-Tae gave her a hard look. “When King Soo-Won asked me to personally choose a new lord of Awa, he told me that they should be someone the people of Awa already trust. Considering everything that just happened, there isn’t anyone in the current local government that fulfils that requirement. You, on the other hand, have worked tirelessly with your crew these past few years to fight the corruption in this town. You’ve never given up or given in, and have always had the people’s best interest at heart. Not to mention, it was your success with the Kim Green Leg Trading Company that led to the development of this town. You’re the only person who can help bring this place back to its former glory.”

Gi-Gan looked… sentimental. It wasn’t the kind of look a person could usually expect on her face. “Is that… really what you think General?”

Geun-Tae nodded. “It is.”

Gi-Gan pulled out her pipe and took a puff, looking solemn. “I grew up in this town. We used to have this small house a couple of blocks away from the port with barely enough room for me, my brother, and my parents. It’s gone now, like a lot of things, but that’s not important. What’s important was how my father worked tirelessly as a merchant, transporting goods for all over through the small port in our town. I loved my father, and I loved my town, and I wanted to protect my father’s work and help my town in any way I could. My father knew this, and gave me the company while my brother followed his dream of being a traveling artist.”

“When I took over the company, I did what I could to encourage prosperity in the company while also keeping strong ties to the community here. Nobody is more surprised than me about how successful it was. By the end of the decade, profits had risen exponentially and were still growing, and we had started working in international trade. And as the company grew, I made sure that it continued to benefit the town. Awa was a vital stop along all trade routes. Most of our ships were built and maintained here, and it also housed a storehouse where goods could be kept if we hadn’t found any buyers yet. I did what I could to provide the people of this town with good jobs and paid them well.”

“But one day, Kum-Ji took power. I was away from Awa for several months while the worst of it happened, and returned home to see everything I’d worked for my entire life come apart. My town was suffering, and the high taxes made it impossible to keep Awa as even a major point in the trade routes, much less the headquarters. I realized that I had to choose between my town and my company. Since I knew that my niece would do well with the company and didn’t really feel any ties to Awa, I left the company in her capable hands and left to do what I could for the town with my personal ship and weapons collection.”

When she finished, Gi-Gan took another puff of her pipe. “I want you to know that my loyalties will always lie with this town and those who saved it, not with you or the King. If it comes down to protecting these people or following the law, I’ll become a criminal again. I just want to make that clear before we start this.”

Geun-Tae’s face brightened. “So does this mean you’ll do it?”

Gi-Gan took a puff from her pipe. “Yeah, I guess I will. You’re a surprisingly skilled negotiator General, have you ever considered going into business?”


	10. Chapter 10

Toku groaned, rubbing his sore limbs. “Why did we decide to do this again?”

“Because we wanted to protect the town and we can’t do it as pirates anymore.” Maya answered.

“Still, I’ll admit that the training was brutal.” Rowen commented.

Tatsu and Ryou just breathed heavily, still worn out.

The new guardsmen noticed some commotion in the center square. “What’s going on over there?” asked Maya. They ended up heading in that direction to check it out.

General Geun-Tae was just finishing up a speech. “…I only hope that this selection will bring about positive change in this town. And so, without further ado, I would like to present Kim Gi-Gan, the new Lady of Awa town!”

Everyone – especially the former pirates – audibly gasped as Captain Gi-Gan stepped up on stage behind General Geun-Tae.

“It’s the Captain!” Toku hissed.

“Yes, I can see that,” Maya shushed him.

Gi-Gan took the stage. “I know a lot of you folks have at least heard about me, so I’ll keep this short. I’m probably not the perfect person for this job, but I also know that more than anything, you folks don’t want a repeat of Kum-Ji’s regime. I can’t promise you much, but I can promise you that much at least. I plan on doing what I can to help this town heal, and to rebuild Awa as the wonderful place I know it is.”

Toku was fighting back tears. “Guys, I think things are starting to change for the better.”

* * *

 “Well Lady Gi-Gan, I suppose I can leave things in your capable hands from now on.” Geun-Tae cheerfully announced as his mounted his horse.

“You almost sound like you’re in a hurry to leave, General. Getting tired of me?” Gi-Gan lightly teased.

Geun-Tae laughed. “Oh no, it’s just that the king asked me to help him out with something… I really don’t want to disappoint him, especially since he asked me personally!”

“I see.” Gi-Gan considered going back inside where a lot of work was left to do, but realized she had a question she wanted to ask the General before he left.

“General Geun-Tae… Do you believe in any of the old stories? About the dragon warriors and gods and mysterious phenomena?”

Geun-Tae thought for a couple of seconds. “Not really. I always saw them as just fantastical children’s tales, honestly. Plus, I know King Soo-Won doesn’t care about the gods either, so I don’t see any reason to.”

“Huh.” Gi-Gan became quiet for several moments, before finally figuring out the best thing to say. “You may want to keep your mind open to the possibilities, General.”

“Don’t tell me you believe in that kind of stuff, Lady Gi-Gan? Dragon legs that can jump to great heights and dragon eyes that can see long distances and all that?”

“I have my reasons for believing the things I do.”

“Eh, well it’s not like it matters to me. I believe in King Soo-Won, and that’s why I’m headed off to where he is.” The General left with one last laugh, followed by his men.

Gi-Gan watched him go, wondering if the General would ever cross paths with that young man who’d changed her beliefs in the old myths.

* * *

 " _Captain! I didn’t realize you loved me so much you’d include me in your family crest!” a green-haired young man cheerfully teased, waving a familiar sword in front of Gi-Gan’s face._

_“That’s not what it is, idiot.” The woman wrenched the priceless sword from the green dragon’s grasp._

_“What is it then?” Jae-Ha asked._

_Gi-Gan sighed. “If you must know, it’s the crest of the Kim Green Leg Trading Company, which I previously managed. My father designed it based on the old legend about the green dragon coming from the Earth Clan, but I’m sure that if he’d ever met you he would have chosen something else.”_

_Jae-Ha clutched his heart in mock horror. “Oh Captain, how could you be so mean? I’m just a poor, suffering boy cursed with the green dragon’s power to serve some greedy master.”_

_“You should know by now that’s not going to win you any points in my book, brat.” Gi-Gan exited her cabin to go up on deck. “Hey Rowen! Can I talk to you for a sec?”_

_Rowen came running over. “Yes Captain?”_

_“Here.” She dropped the sword in the man’s waiting hands. “It doesn’t really fit my style of fighting, and you seem to do decent enough with a sword. Just make sure you take care of it, that sword was a gift from my father, got it?”_

_Rowen nodded. “I will Captain.”_

_“Good.” Gi-Gan turned around to see Jae-Ha still pouting._

_“Captain, I’m hurt.” He whined. “Why won’t you give me a fancy sword too?”_

_“Cause I’ve only got one, ya blithering fool. Besides, your fighting style isn’t really suited for using a sword. You tend to fly high up over everyone else with that dragon leg of yours, so long-range weapons would be better for you.”_

_Jae-Ha still didn’t look satisfied. “But I really wanted a special weapon from the Captain!”_

_Gi-Gan sighed. “Fine. If I teach you how to use throwing knives like I do, will you shut up about it?”_

_Jae-ha was visibly elated. “You’ll really do that, Captain? Oh, I am truly touched!”_

_“Yeah, yeah, just quit going on and on about it you idiot.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave comments or kudos!


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